DoT rejects law ministry suggestion for GoM on new licences

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has rejected the law ministry's suggestion to set up a Group of Ministers to handle 575 applications for allotment of licences, saying it was in continuation of the existing policies.

In a letter to apprise the prime minister about the latest developments in the department, Communication Minister A Raja has said the DoT has decided to continue with the existing policy (first-cum-first-served) for processing of applications received up to September 25, 2007.

The procedure for the remaining applications would be decided at a later date and in the event of availability of any spectrum after processing the applications received up to September 25.

"Since, generally new major policy decisions of a department or inter-departmental issues are referred to a GoM, and, needless to say, that the present issue relates to procedures, the suggestion of the law minister is totally out of context," Raja said in the letter.

DoT had received a huge number of applications for licences to provide telephony services after the government fixed a cut-off date of October 1 for receiving applications.

"The department wanted to examine the possibility of any other procedure, in addition to the current procedure of allotment of licences, to process the huge number of applications," the minister said, adding that the DoT sought the law ministry's views to examine the legal tenability of alternate methods to avoid future legal complications.

"The minister of law and justice, instead of examining the legal tenability of these alternative procedures, suggested referring the matter to an empowered GoM," he said.